1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of playing a wagering game, particularly a casino table card wagering game or a player banked casino table card wagering game. The invention relates to such games that can use standard rules of poker rank and preferably a standard deck(s) of playing cards. More specifically, the method of the present invention is an enhancement to a game of poker by having a dealer or banker provided with one or more rule restrictions that has a strategic effect in play of the dealer's hand or banker's hand.
2. Background of the Art
Many different wagering games presently exist for use in both home and casino environments. Such games should necessarily be exciting, uncomplicated and easy to learn so as to avoid frustrating the players. Card games such as poker and Twenty-One have gained widespread popularity because of their established ranking of hands and well-known rules. Furthermore, each of these games usually involves numerous wagering opportunities for the players, thus increasing player participation and excitement. Lastly, the games move fairly quickly to maintain action and activity. All of these factors have created games that are widely accepted and widely known.
Variations in wagering structures can also increase the excitement and acceptance of such wagering games. Breeding, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,430 discloses a poker game with an altered wagering scheme thus allowing the player the opportunity to compete for an additional prize or payout.
Other variations can be made to standard games to allow more player opportunity and involvement. Boylan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,107 discloses a game wherein additional symbols are added to increase wagering opportunities. This allows the player the opportunity to place several wagers on different aspects of the game while the game is being played.
Many variations in the play of poker-type games have been introduced to increase the excitement and interest in the play of both table and video versions of poker. For example, in a video version of draw poker, Dabrowski et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,356,140 and 5,531,440 teach that after an initial wager, two distinct hands may be dealt, and the player may select between the two hands for continued play of the game. Only a single hand may be played.
Lombardo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,827 describes a casino table card game in which a greater number of cards are provided to a dealer than to a player. The player provides a first stake and designates a portion of his lesser number of cards to correspond to that first stake. The cards dealt to a player (e.g., 4 initial cards) are split into two hands, each of which has a separate stake, and each of which plays against two hand segments established by the dealer. The player may also rearrange cards in the first segment, if the player's hand ties the dealer's hand.
Suttle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 describes the basic play of Caribbean Stud® poker. A five-card hand is dealt to each player and to a dealer after an ante is placed by each player. One card from the dealer's hand is exposed, and the player may place a wager that is a multiple (typically 2× the Ante) to stay in the game after viewing the dealer's exposed card. Bonus bets are paid in this game, only when the player attains a ranked hand and beats the dealer's hand.
Webb, U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774 describes a casino table poker game in which separate bets may be placed by a player that a player's hand will either exceed a predetermined rank or beat the dealer's hand. At least one, but not necessarily both bets may be placed. A third optional bet is available that backs up the wager as to whether the player's hand will exceed the rank of the dealer's hand. Wild cards are available, and an initial hand of three cards may be dealt to the player.
Webb, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,719 describes the basic game of three-card poker, which combines the play of Blackjack, a three-card poker wager, and a side bet. A dealer's card is combined into the player's first two cards for the three-card poker play.
Lott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,011 describes a poker-type game with multiple wagers, jackpots and insurance options. Multiple players wager on a single five-card player hand which competes against a seven-card dealer hand from which five dealer cards are selected to form a dealer's hand.
De Lisle, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,119 describes a method of playing a card game (non-poker type) wherein players' and dealer's hands are evaluated by determining the suit (in each hand) where the player's and dealer's ‘points’ are highest. There are optional call bets at various points of hand disclosures.
Singer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,436 describes a modified poker game in which a player builds a hand, being dealt two cards at a time and discarding one card at a time, until a hand is built of a predetermined number of cards.
Garrod, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,373 describes a method of playing a card game with a dealer's hand that has a permanent displayed card (e.g., the Ace of Spades). From the remainder of the deck, each player is dealt two facedown cards, and each player may act on their cards, being given an option to continue or fold and receive a portion of the wager back. Then five common cards are dealt face up, with the common cards being common to both the dealer's and the players' hands. Players may receive awards for bonus hands.
Perkins, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,485 allows a player to purchase a bonus card in the play of a casino table poker game, the card being delivered when the first five cards is a losing hand.
Wirth, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,906 teaches the potential for the option of using a sixth card in a dealer-vs. -player casino table poker game.
Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,915 describes an electronic six-card poker hand, with an option of drawing cards available, and an optional sequence of wagers. This game does not utilize shared common cards or rules for dealer card retention and discard.
Shuffle Master, Inc.'s pending application, U.S. Ser. No. 10/277,508 filed Oct. 21, 2002, entitled: Poker Game with Bonus Payouts describes a game in which a player may get additional cards when the player's hand has a low value.
de Keller, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,379,245 and 6,467,771 describe a casino table poker game in which players may be provided with community cards and given an opportunity to increase their wagers. The game requires the use of a common pot in the play of the game and there are no fixed rules on card retention or discarding.
Saruwatari, U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,148 describes a player versus dealer and pay table poker game in which a player makes two distinct wagers (one wager against the dealer for a high card wager and a second wager against the pay table) and the player receives one card and the dealer receives one or two cards. The player and dealer cards are combined to form a poker hand competing against the pay table for all players who have made the pay table wager.
Garrod, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,373 describes a card game in which players compete against a dealer, with the same common cards for both the dealer hand and players' hands. The player may fold and receive a portion of the wager back when a specific card (e.g., a deuce) is present in the player's initial two cards. The options on dealer card retention and the rules for bet withdrawal are different from those in the present game play method.
Similarly, Kadlic, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,915 describes a video poker gaming apparatus in which multiple hands are displayed on a screen and each of the hands is partially revealed (e.g., 1 or more cards, but less than all cards are displayed). The player then elects which one of the multiple displayed hands is to be played, and the draw poker game or stud poker game for that one hand proceeds to a resolution. Again, only a single hand of poker is player.
Malek, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,882; 5,395,120 and 5,702,104 teach a casino table card game apparatus and play in which each player's position is provided with three distinct card playing areas or lines. Cards are dealt to a player so that each player may play at least two distinct card games (e.g., from among Twenty-One, modified Draw Poker, and Baccarat). A player makes a first bet in at least two of the different player positions, and cards are dealt to each of those player positions. Different games are played with each separate set of hands, and the play of one game does not directly influence or affect the play of any other game.
Similarly, Macaisa, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,092 describes a method of playing a casino table game having multiple casino games. Each player position is provided with distinct playing positions for the different games (such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker and jackpot).
Potter et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,295 and 5,697,614 describe a casino table card game and apparatus in which a player may select any number of predetermined hand ranking rules to apply to the play of a hand. A player is dealt an initial, partial hand, and the player then elects from that initial hand which set(s) of predetermined hand ranking rules apply to the hand. In a preferred game, the dealer receives two separate bank hands, one that utilizes the hand ranks of standard poker and one that utilizes the hand ranks of low-ball poker. Once each player has received four of his five cards, each player decides which of the dealer's two hands to play against, with the option of playing against both (as in selecting both ways in a Hi-Low poker game). Then each player receives his or her fifth, and last, card. At this point, the “bank” hands are exposed and each player's hand is compared to the specific “bank” hand, or hands, that they played against, winners are determined, and wagers are settled. The election of playing against a high rank hand, low rank hand or both hands, does not alter the strategy or selection of cards, as only the hand dealt to the player is utilized, without any replacement of cards coincident with play strategy.
Feola, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,781 describes a method and apparatus for playing a poker-type card game. A number of different stud poker hands are dealt on a playing surface and players wager as to which will have the highest stud poker ranking. Game options include choosing the hand with the lowest rank instead of the highest rank. As each hand is fixed and there are no replacement cards, there can be no play of one hand that is influenced by the play of another hand. There is no dealer hand against which a player competes.
Lombardo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,827 describes another poker-type casino table card game. This game may be played at a table with as many as seven players competing against a dealer. The play of the game has each player having multiple hands and using a dealer's card. One method of play is to provide each player with three cards, and the dealer is provided with four cards. The dealer's play of cards is predetermined, while the players may select their desired holding. Player's hands are competing directly against the dealer's hand in each of the hands made by the player and the dealer.
Yoseloff, U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,613 describes a play of a hand of poker (either as a casino table card game or a video gaming apparatus or computer game), in which a partial hand is provided to a player after initial wager. The actual hand of poker involves the potential for at least two distinct games of poker being playable from that partial hand. The player may then elect to play one or more of the potential games from at least two distinct games of poker available for play with that hand. At least two of the games, which may be played from the partial hand, require decisions in one poker game that is intended to positively affect the outcome in one game, but is likely to have a negative effect in the play of the second game. Various pay tables are provided that differ from each other, with respect to each single game, depending upon whether the player elects to play a single game with the partial poker hand or elects to play at least two games with continued play of the partial poker hand.
Webb, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,345,823 and 6,237,916 describe a three-card, four-card, or five-card poker game in which various wagers are available to be made on the play of each player's hand.
The game of Caribbean Stud™ poker is described in Suttle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 (previously described) and Jones et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041. That game basically comprises a card game in which a player and a dealer are each dealt five cards. If the dealer has a poker hand having a value less than Ace-King combination or better, the player automatically wins. If the dealer has a poker hand having a value of an Ace-King combination or better, then the higher of the player's or the dealer's hand wins. If the player wins, he may receive an additional bonus payment depending on the poker rank of his hand. In the commercial play of the game, a side bet is usually required to allow a chance at a progressive jackpot. In Caribbean Stud™ poker, it is the dealer's hand that must qualify. As the dealer's hand is partially concealed during play (usually only one card, at most, is displayed to the player before player wagering is complete), the player must always be aware that even ranked player hands can lose to a dealer's hand and no bonus will be paid out unless the side bet has been made, and then usually only to hands having a rank of a flush or higher.
Another poker variant played in private games is called “Pitch and Bitch” poker. The normal play of the game is for each player to place an ante bet (the dealer usually being only a random player at the game) and then each player receives five cards in stud fashion (e.g., a] one card down, the next four cards up; or b] two cards down, three cards up), with betting taking place after the second card, the third card, the fourth card and the fifth card. After all five cards have been dealt, any player may pay an amount (usually equal to the ante) to allow that player to discard a card and receive a replacement card, in the same manner as the card replaced (i.e., a replacement down card for an original down card and a replacement up card for an original up card. Another round of wagering then takes place after the replacement card has been offered (and accepted or declined) to each player.
The availability of additional or alternative games of play and especially poker with alternative features is desirable in the field to stimulate and maintain player interest.